


Writing the Prologue

by stopmopingstarthoping



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Student/Teacher, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Writers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-11 14:38:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19540540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stopmopingstarthoping/pseuds/stopmopingstarthoping
Summary: Gladiolus Amicitia is a published author, teaching the occasional adjunct course at the local university. Noctis "Smith" is a promising student trying to succeed without riding on his family's name. Mutual respect builds—and a little more.  (33!Gladio/20!Noct)





	Writing the Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Steph1roth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steph1roth/gifts).



> Written for the prompt "basorexia: the overwhelming desire to kiss."

"So, who's got something they want to share today?" Gladio pushed an escaped lock of hair back toward his half-ponytail. 

"I do." Usually slumped in his seat, he'd straightened up and opened up his laptop eagerly today. Gladio looked down at his seating chart briefly. This was only his second adjunct position, and he usually got people's names by the second week of class, but this guy had been so quiet. 

_Noctis Smith._ The name was scribbled onto the square for his seat, and Gladio squinted at it for a moment. There was something familiar about that first name, but Gladio couldn't place it. 

Noctis started reading. It was a simple, evocative passage filled with sensory details and an understated poignance to it that caught Gladio’s attention.

His head tossed and long sweeping black strands fell back. His voice was pretty, a quiet, slightly raspy baritone. As he read from the screen in front of him, Gladio propped one leg thoughtfully on his own desk, listening. 

Gladio listened until Noctis was done, then nodded and gave some feedback, noticing the blush that quickly rose to the guy’s face as he took down some notes. 

Gladio grinned at him, happy that he’d shared something, and moved to call on the next student, a big redhead with close-cropped hair. As the second student read from his own work, Gladio felt clear, deep-blue eyes still lingering on him, and shot a glance back over to Noctis. He caught just the slightest hint of a grin curving Noctis’ lips before those blue eyes flicked back down to his laptop. 

The rest of the class was uneventful; Gladio was enjoying the opportunity to get to know the students and their different styles. The hour passed by quickly, and Gladio felt good when class ended. He wasn’t terrible at this teaching thing, and it made him happy. 

Gladio was stuffing his own papers back into his bag when Noctis appeared in front of him again.

“Thanks for not being a dick about the uh, the constructive criticism.”

Gladio let out a chortle of surprise. Direct, but he dug that. “You’re welcome. I’ve never thought you had to grind people down to get them to improve. Push, sure—I’ll definitely be doing that this semester, so be ready. But making you feel like shit about yourself isn’t my style.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” Noctis gave him a nod and lingered, like he had more to say, but let out a little breath of a sigh and left with an awkward wave.

“See you next week.”

* * *

Gladio leaned against the bar, grinning at the bartender and ordering his usual beer. It had been a long week, and he was glad to just relax and unwind for a little, across town from all of the usual college-themed haunts. 

His eyebrows shot up when a familiar head of black spikes darted up to look at him from a couple of seats down. Noctis grinned, tentatively at first, and then when Gladio grinned back he picked up his drink and came over.

“This is a weird place for a student to be. Shouldn’t you be at the trendy place on the west side of town? What’s it called?”

“The Cosmology Club. And no, not my scene, really.”

“Regalia’s pretty divey and boring, especially if you don’t play Buck Hunter.”

Noctis shrugged. “Maybe I’m boring.”

Gladio really, really doubted that, especially after hearing some of his ideas in class. It had also occurred to him that Noctis was essentially attending college under a secret identity. When Gladio had thought about where he’d heard Noctis’ name before, he’d realized it. Heir to the Lucis Caelum Silicon Valley fortune, he was clearly trying to fly under the radar, going by “Smith” at university. Gladio grinned. It was a hell of a generic last name, almost asking for the mystery to be solved. 

“You don’t seem boring to me.” 

That comment got Gladio a long, searching glance from deep azure eyes, but this time Gladio was distracted by Noctis’ lips. Full and a little parted, they were a soft contrast to the dark slashes of eyebrows above, currently lifted in a slight question.

He had a delicate sort of beauty about him, and Gladio was transfixed for a long moment. Noctis met his gaze, and Gladio let him, before remembering just how inappropriate it would be to hit on a student. He shifted back just slightly on his barstool, realizing that the two of them had leaned unintentionally close. 

Noctis followed him, though, seeming to have the same inexplicable pull toward Gladio. Gladio tried to defuse it with a cocky grin, but it didn’t break the tension. That light-pink flush had crept over his pale cheeks again, and Gladio was consumed with the thought of how Noctis’ lips would feel pressed against his own. Noctis’ gaze was fixed on his own face, and Gladio imagined he could physically feel it—a feather-light touch lingering on his eyes, his cheeks, his own lips— 

Gladio needed to stop this, now, if he ever wanted to get hired again. It was damned difficult, though, clearing his throat and making up an excuse to get going. Even harder given the small, hurt look that flickered in those beautiful eyes, but come on. Noctis had to understand how awkward this was, that it wasn’t a rejection of him. Not at all. 

Having broken the spell, Gladio started wondering if he’d completely imagined the moment in his own head. But the way Noctis got up, still staring at him, and brushed his body far more closely than necessary on his way out, told Gladio he probably hadn’t.

“See you in class.”

“Yeah.”

* * *

Gladio’s heart thumped way too obviously at the knock at his office door. This was stupid, he was stupid, and even if he wasn’t going to get in trouble anymore, it was probably a bad idea.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to do it anyway. 

He wanted to see Noctis one more time, for a variety of reasons that swirled together in his head and that he didn’t want to examine all that closely right now.

“Come on in.” Gladio put on the “friendly adjunct professor” attitude and looked up with an engaging smile, taking his black-rimmed glasses off and laying them on the desk.

Noctis sat down in the guest chair. “I got your email. You wanted to see me?”

“Yeah. I graded it already, but your final project was amazing.”

Noctis gave a self-effacing shrug. “Thanks for all your help. You were right—it wasn’t always easy. But I appreciate it anyway, even for the weeks I was completely pissed at you.”

Gladio laughed. “I’m glad it worked out. You’ve got something really special here, you know? I’m excited to see you go out there and make a name for yourself.” He handed the paper to Noctis and watched him look at it proudly.

Noctis acknowledged Gladio’s obvious knowledge of his little secret with a sly smile. Gladio grinned back, enjoying the fact that they could share at least this bit of camaraderie before he lost Noctis among the merging tides of students who came and went each semester.

Gladio felt completely back on his heels, though, when Noctis set the paper on top of his bag and stood up. Gladio stood up too, ready to shake Noctis’ hand and see him off, but instead Noctis stepped fluidly around Gladio’s desk. 

“So, this means I’m officially not your student anymore, huh?” He reached out and fidgeted with the soft lapels of Gladio’s cardigan, and Gladio felt himself sweat a little.

“No. No, I guess not.” Gladio paused, trying to collect his wildly spinning thoughts for a minute, but Noctis didn’t give him a chance. He pulled Gladio down, just a little, and reached up at the same moment. Gladio felt lips brush his own, and wondered if Noctis knew just how long he’d been yearning for this. 

Slowly, almost dreamily, Gladio stepped closer. He touched light fingers into Noctis’ spiky, styled black strands, and deepened the kiss. He was rewarded with a little sigh that sounded like relief, and a gentle fierceness that made him dizzy. 

They pulled back, and with no more need to panic, Gladio turned on a little bit of natural charm, smiling down at Noctis. “Heading over to the Regalia tonight, if you want something boring to do.”

The smile Gladio got in response nearly destroyed him on the spot. 

“Look forward to seeing you later.”

Gladio tried to collect himself and finish inputting grades, but his thoughts kept slipping away to soft lips and the small noise that had escaped Noctis’ throat as they’d kissed. He’d be happy to be finished with this semester for more than just the escape from paperwork, it seemed.


End file.
